


Wrapped in Cotton Wool

by Spacecadet72



Series: If You're Not the One [8]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Marriage of Convenience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 06:17:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14038011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: Chat and Marinette argue about her safety.





	Wrapped in Cotton Wool

**Author's Note:**

> This is from a prompt by lightning01 on ao3. I tweaked the prompt a little but hopefully this still satisfies. 
> 
> These oneshots are posted out of chronological order, and there's a list of chronological order in the series notes if that interests you, but just know this is fairly early on in their arrangement and is set between Baby Mine and Wrung the Heart.

  
Marinette was going to scream.

"I really don't think that--"

"I would not finish that sentence if I were you, Chat," Marinette said her teeth clenched as she tried to stay calm. It had been sweet at first. Absolutely unnecessary, but sweet.

_Chat had been sprawled across her couch, flipping through one of the fashion magazines she had on her coffee table as she walked through her front door._

_"You're late, Princess," he said with a smirk. "Lots of traffic tonight?"_

_Marinette shook her head as she set her bag down. "I walked. Besides, we said 9-ish. It's only 9:15," she said, rolling her eyes with a fond smile._

_She glanced over at him, expecting to hear him teasing her for being slow or about the importance of punctuality. Instead, Chat had sat up, his expression concerned._

_"You walked?" he asked, glancing out the window and into the night._

_Marinette nodded and came to join him on the couch. "The weather has been so nice lately, I've been walking to work. It's better for the environment, you know," she said, leaning to bump his shoulder with hers, trying to get back to their typical teasing banter._

_"It's not safe after dark" Chat said, getting up off the couch._

_"It's fine, Chat," she said, her voice firm, but with a smile. "The route from here to my shop is through all safe areas. Besides, I can take care of myself," she said. More than you know, she added as an afterthought in her head._

_"But, Marinette--"_

_Marinette walked over to him, and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "I'm fine. I appreciate that you want me to be safe, but you don't need to worry."_

_“That’s easier said than done,” Chat said with a smile, but it didn’t reach the worry in his eyes._

_“Okay, I can’t tell you not to worry, but I can ask you to trust me.”_

_Chat nodded slowly, and Marinette’s smile widened that this conversation was past them. She really should have seen it coming, but now it was taken care of._

It really should have ended there, but Chat would not let it go.

The second time he brought it up, he had given her pepper spray. She had accepted it, feeling somewhat flattered that he cared so much. It wasn’t needed, but she could keep it in her purse if it meant he felt more comfortable.

But even that hadn’t been the end of it. He’d tried to get her to sign up for a self-defense class and when that hadn’t worked, he’d offered to teach her himself. She told him that she had already taken self-defense and didn’t need it. While this was true in a sense—her training as Ladybug could certainly be seen as self-defense—what she really wanted was for him to just believe her when she said that she was able to take care of herself. Why couldn’t he trust her?

Now he was bringing it up for the fifth time in two weeks.

“I just think maybe you should start driving to work again.”

“I’ve told you, I’m fine walking. Can you please drop it?”

“I can’t be worried about my wife?” Chat said with a smile.

Marinette groaned in frustration. “Even if we were really married, I’d be frustrated, but Chat, this is a business arrangement, not a marriage.”

Chat stiffened. “You’re right, I overstepped,” he said as he backed towards the window, not meeting her eyes. Without saying goodbye, he leapt out of the window and into the night.

“Chat!” Marinette called out as she rushed to the window, but he was gone.

Marinette felt deflated, her anger gone as she remembered the look on Chat’s face.

“Marinette, are you okay?”

She looked over to see Tikki floating by the couch. Marinette sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that, Tikki,” she said walking over to the couch and flopping down onto it. “I was just so frustrated. Why won’t he listen to me?”

“He just wants you to be safe,” Tikki said, resting on Marinette’s arm. “Maybe if you apologize you can also try and explain how you’re feeling so you two can work it out?”

“Do you think he’ll even want to see me? You didn’t see the look on his face.”

Tikki nodded. “Give him time and then go talk to him. He cares about you, he’ll want to figure this out just as much as you do.”

Marinette nodded. “You’re right, Tikki. I’ll call him tomorrow.”

* * *

 

"Hey, Chat," Marinette said, trying to figure out what to say that her earlier message didn't. "It's me again. I was just hoping we could talk. I need to apologize about last night and I think it would be good if we talked. Okay, I guess...that's all. I hope I hear from you soon. Bye."

Marinette looked down at her phone as she hung up. "Where is that cat?" she asked.

"Right here."

Marinette whirled around to see Chat standing just inside the window.

"Sorry I didn't answer your calls, I was at work," Chat said, his voice subdued and his eyes on the floor.

Marinette rushed over to him. She reached a hand out to lay on his arm as she so often did, but she pulled it back, not sure if the contact would be welcome. "Chat, I am so sorry, I should never have said what I did. This marriage may not be the typical arrangement, but you're a part of my life now, and I know you were just caring about me. I was feeling frustrated because it felt like you didn't trust me, or like you thought I wasn't capable. That doesn't excuse what I said, though."

Chat looked up at her, a small smile on his lips, before he shook his head. "I'm the one who needs to apologize," he said, as he took in a deep breath. "I've lost people before, and I don't want to lose you too. Even if this is just a business arrangement, you're my friend and I care about you. But you’re right, I have to trust you. I went overboard, and I am so sorry."

Marinette smiled. "You're not going to lose me, but I need to be able to live my life as much like before as possible. So," she said, sticking out her hand. "friends?"

Chat looked at her hand and his teasing smile returned. "A handshake, Princess? So business-like. I'm pretty sure friends can hug."

Marinette laughed, and lowered her hand. "You're right," she said before leaning up to wrap her arms around him. He hugged her back, not too tightly, and Marinette's eyes fell closed. She felt so safe and _loved_ in his embrace. He had frustrated her trying to smother her with his overprotective tendencies, but there really was no one else she felt as safe with as him.

 


End file.
